Corn-harvester.



J. A. STONE. CORN HARVESTER. APPucATron men NOV. 21

Patented July 17, 1917. l

2 SHEET$-$HEET I.

-1. A. STONE. coma HARVESTER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, I913.

"Pawn H1 July 17, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 nveiraibvr JOHN A. STONE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR T0 INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATIONOF NEW J CORN-HARVESTER.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JOHN A. STONE, a citi-Zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCorn-Harvesters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

My invention relates to corn harvesters 1n its general adaptation, andis part cularly designed for use in connection wlth machines of the sameclass commonly called corn pickers and huskers, and consists in improvedmeans for gathering in the stalks 1n advance of the snapping rollers,and is an improvement on the mechanism shown 1n my Patent N 0. 949,736,February 15, 1910. The object of my invention is to provlde means forengaging such ears of corn as may be hanging close to the ground in amanner to deliver them to the conveyers that they may be carried to thehusking mechanism.

These objects are attained by means of the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of part ofthe front end of one of the stalk gathering members having a part of myinvention embodied therein; V

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail part of the carrymg mechanism on an enlarged scale,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4: is an end elevation of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of part of the gathering mechanism of themachine;

Fig. 6 is a cross section of Fig. 5 along line A-B;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of part of the gathering mechanism on anenlarged scale as viewed from the opposite side, as shown in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of part of Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings, whereln the same reference numerals designatelike parts throughout the several views, the stalk advancing mechanismincludes two supporting frame members 1 and 2, spaced apart and inclinedupward from front to rear, adapted to receive a row of corn betweenthem, each member having the usual gathering Specification of LettersPatent. Application filed November 21, 1913.

Patented July 1W, 1917.. Serial No. 802,246.

and stalk advancing finger provided chains 3 mounted thereon, the member1 having supplemental upper and lower stalk engaging finger providedchains 4 and 5, respectively, and member 2 a yielding plate 6 mounted ina manner to oppose a pressure of the stalks carried by the chains 4; and5.

Motion is transmitted from an operative part of the machine to thegathering mechanism carried by the member 1 by means including a shaft 6having its front end connected with the rear end of a shaft 7 by meansof a universal coupling member 8, the shaft 7 being journaled in frontand rear bearing boxes 9 and 10, respectively, that are carried bybracket members 11 and 12, that are secured to the frame member 1.Secured to the shaft 7, near its front end, is a bevel pinion 14 thatmeshes with a corresponding pinion 15 secured to the lower end of ashort shaft 16 that is journaled in bearings carried by the frame member1 and the bracket member 17. Secured to the shaft 16 are upper and lowersprocket wheels 18 and 19, respectively, and 20 represents a sprocketwheel that is adjustably mounted upon the front end of the frame member1 and one of the upper stalk advancing chains 3 is carried by sprocketwheels 19 and 20. 22 represents a shaft journaled in bearings carried bythe bracket member 17 and a supplemental bracket member 17 secured tothe lower side of the diagonal member 1, and having secured to its upperend a sprocket wheel 23 that derives motion, by means of a sprocketchain 24, from the sprocket wheel 18, and 25 repre sents an adjustablechain tightener engaging with the chain 2 1 and carried by the bracketmember 17. 26 and 27 represent upper and lower sprocket wheels,respectively, that are secured to the lower end of shaft 22. 28represents a vertically disposed chain guiding plate having its upperside secured to the frame member 1, and 29 a vertically arranged tubularmember carried by the frame member 1 and the plate 28, and havingforwardly extending ear members 30, spaced apart and having verticallyarranged openings therein. 31 represents a sprocket wheel supportingmember having vertically arranged cylindrical members 32 that areslidably received by longitudinally disposed slotted openings 33 in theframe member 1,

' ceived by an openingin the rear end of the 'formingpart of 37 beinoperative between ashoulder 39 supporting member 31, and its oppositeend connected to one of the ear members 30 the member 29; the spring onthe l-1nk38 and the end of the sprocket wheel supporting member 31 in amanner to move the member 31 against, the tension of the chain 4. Thesprocket wheel support- 7 ing member 31 includeslongitudinally disposed"guideways 40 arrangedupon opposite sides ofa centrally arranged webportion 41, and 42 represents a sprocket wheel supportingbracketslidably mounted upon the ways 40, having a depending stem 43 at itsfront end, upon which is journaled a sprocket wheel 44, and a dependingear member 45 at its opposite-end, having an opening thereinthatslidably receives one journaled upon a stud end ofa link 46, theopposite end of the link being connected with the remaining ear member30, and 47 represents a spring carried by the'link and operative to movethe bracket .member 42 against the tension of the lower supplementalstalk engaging sprocket chain 5 carried 'by the sprocket wheels '44 and97 in the same 'manner as spring 37, but independently thereof.

' The supporting frame member 2, upon the opposite side of the stalkpassageway, includes upper and lower frame members 49 and 50.,respectively, between which one of the 'opposingstalk advancing chains 3operates, "the chainbeing mounted at the front end of the frame upon asprocket wheel 52 53 secured to the lowerframe member, and extendingrearward is driven by a combined sprocket wheel 54 and pinion 55, thepinion meshing wlth a pinion 56 secured to a longitudinally ar- 6 rangedshaft 57 journaled in bearing boxes 58 carried by brackets 59 secured tothe upper and lower frame members 49 and 50; the shaft being provided,at its rear end, with a universal coupling member" 60 whereby it may beconnected with'an operative part [of the 'machine Pivotally m'ountedupon'the lower front end of theframemember 50, and'upon' the bottom ofits inner side, opposite the vancing chains disposed depending plate 6,having an 111- supplemental stalk ad- 1 wardly and' d'ownwardly turnedledge or flange 62 at its lower side, the plate being yieldinglyheldagainst t e pressure of the advancing stalkscarried by the chains 4 and65 5by meansiof a'compression spring 63 cartension by one end slidablyre- 4 and 5, is the longitudinally ried by a stud 64, having one endsecured to ceived by an opening in a bracket member (35 secured to theframe member 50.

In the operation of machines of the character described, the opposingstalk engaging and advancing chains 3 will successfully handle the bulkof the stalks and present them properly to the snapping rollers; but incorn that is badly tangled and in prostrate or semi-prostrate position,with the heads of the stalks directed toward the machine, the points ofthe'gatherers running upon the ground will lift the stalks and they willbe engaged by the stalk advancing chains; but the ears that hang downfrom the stalks are frequently loosened before they have reached theconveyer mechanism and are dropped upon the ground- In my improvedmechanism the supplemental stalk advancing chains 4 and 5, carried uponthe row straddling members, will coiiperate with the yielding plate 6and engage with the ears as the stalks are being raised by the chains,as shown in my patent as noted above, and deliver them to the carriermechanism.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention, it isto be understood that I do not wish to confine it to the specificdetails of construction as described, as many minor changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a corn harvester, spaced gathering boards, stalk gatheringmechanism carried thereon, and a supplemental gatherer, yieldablelongitudinally, operatively connected beneath the latter and adjacentthe ground having fingers extending into the interval between saidgathering boards.

2, In a corn harvester, spaced gathering boards, stalk gatheringmechanism carried thereon, and a supplemental. stalk gathering chain,yieldable longitudinally, carried on said frame, operatively connectedto said stalk gathering mechanism and disposed in a plane beneath thefront end of the same and adjacent the ground.

3; In a corn harvester, spaced gathering boards, stalk gatheringmechanism carried thereon, and a plurality of superimposed supplementalgathering chains, V yieldable longitudinally, carried on one of saidframe members beneath said gathering mechanism and operatively connectedto the latter.

, 4. In a corn harvester, a plurality of spaced gatheringv boards, stalkgathering mechanism carried thereon, a supplemental stalk gatheringchain carried on one of said gathering boards in a plane beneath saidgathering mechanism and operatively connected thereto, and meansincluding a shiftable sprocket wheel maintaining said chain yieldablerelative to stalks passing between said gathering boards.

5. In a corn harvester, a plurality of spaced gathering boards, stalkgathering mechanism carried thereon, a plurality of supplemental stalkgathering chains carried on one of said gathering boards beneath saidstalk gathering mechanism and operatively connected to the latter, andmechanism shiftable longitudinally for maintaining each of said chainsindependently yieldable relative to the stalks passing between saidgathering boards.

6. In a corn harvester, a plurality of spaced gathering boards, stalkgathering mechanism carried thereon, a supplemental longitudinallyyieldable stalk engaging chain carried on one of said gathering boardsoperatively connected to said gathering mechanism and disposed in aplane beneath the same, and a yielding plate carried on the oppositegathering board opposite said chain.

7. In a corn harvester, a plurality of spaced gathering boards, stalkgathering mechanism carried thereon, a plurality of superimposedsupplemental longitudinallyv yieldable stalk gathering chains carried onone of said gathering boards operatively connected to said gatheringmechanism and disposed beneath the same, and a downwardly extendingyielding plate carried on the opposite gathering board opposite saidgathering chains.

8. In a corn harvester, in combination, upwardly and rearwardly inclinedspaced stalk guiding members adapted to straddlea row of corn, stalkengaging and advancing means carried by one of said members includingupper main gathering and stalk advancing chains, longitudinallyyieldable supplemental stalk engaging and advancing devices locatedbelow and at the front end of one of said upper chains, and a yieldingwall carried by the other guiding member and opposing said supplementalstalk engaging devices.

9. In a corn harvester, in combination, upwardly and rearwardly inclinedspaced stalk guiding members adapted to straddle a row of corn, stalkengaging and advancing means carried by one of said members includingupper main gathering and stalk advancing chains, longitudinallyyieldable supplemental stalk engaging and advancing devices disposedbelow and at the front end of one of said upper chains, and aspring-pressed pivotally mounted plate carried by the other guidingmember and opposing said supplemental gathering devices.

10. In a corn harvester, a plurality of spaced gathering boards, adepending plate resiliently mounted on one of the same and having asubstantially horizontally disposed ledge, stalk gathering mechanismcarried on said gathering boards having fingers extending into theinterval between the same, and supplemental stalk gathering mechanismdisposed beneath said first mentioned stalk gathering mechanism andoperatively connected thereto, carried on the other gathering boardopposite said plate and having fingers extending into the intervalbetween said members in a plane above the ledge on said plate.

11. In a corn harvester, a plurality of spaced gathering boards, stalkgathering mechanism comprising a stalk gathering chain carried on eachof said gathering boards having fingers protruding into the intervalbetween the latter, a resiliently mounted plate carried on one of saidframe members having a laterally disposed flange extending into theinterval between said members, and a plurality of superimposed gatheringchains operatively connected to said first mentioned gathering chainsand carried on the other gathering board beneath one of said chains,said supplemental chains having fingers extending into the intervalbetween the same and said resiliently mounted plate.

12. In a corn harvester, cooperating yieldably mounted members forengaging and gathering stalks, one of said members being a plate and theother a chain, and means operatively connected with the chain to permitit to yield longitudinally.

13. In a corn harvester, spaced gathering boards, and supplementalengaging and gathering mechanism including a plate yieldably mounted onone of said gathering boards and a longitudinally yieldable gatheringchain mounted on another of said gathering boards opposite said plate.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN A. STONE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

